All the Little Pieces
by RedZed
Summary: Here is the story of Ruby Rose and Weiss Schnee, fragmented and released as snapshots of their lives. These pieces are released not in the order in which they happened, but instead in the way that the story wants to be told. This isn't about happiness, heartbreak, or action. This is a story about love, and everything that comes with it. Rated M for future violence & sexual content
1. Prologue

**A/N: This is the just the beginning of a long story, that tells the tale of Ruby and Weiss at different points in their lives. Some of it will be fluffy and light enough to say "aww" to, and other parts will be sad, perhaps even romantic or racy. I have a rough storyboard laid out, and plan to update at least once every other day by 12:00am CST, so keep your eyes open. Here is the prologue to what will hopefully be a story worth reading and sharing, even if it isn't a huge success.**

**This particular chapter is just the prologue so it will be slightly shorter than the rest, but hopefully it will give you and idea of my writing style.**

**And of course the disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or any of its characters, they are property of Roosterteeh and the late Monty Oum.**

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The rain fell hard, beating down unto the ground so heavily the soil barely able to swallow all the droplets. Overhead the sky was blanketed in rolling black clouds, hiding the sun from the world. This sort of weather was so unusual for the city of Vale that most residents went home to coop them selves up and hide away until the storm blew over. Nearly every last soul was indoors, save for one lone woman in the middle of it all. There she stood still, ignorant of the water her umbrella failed to repel, her dress fluttering against the harsh wind. Black had never been one of her favorite colors, she hated how it contrasted her white hair, but the middle aged woman wore it nonetheless, it was a special occasion after all. The rain fell hard, yet there she stood her ground, reading and re-reading the words on the tombstone that rested a her feet.

Ruby Schnee Rose

Huntress, Sister, Mother, Wife, and Friend.

Gods Rest Her Soul.

Her cheeks were wet, not as a fault of the rain, but a result of the sadness she failed to keep at bay. Weiss Schnee rarely cried, she was a strong woman, capable of keeping her emotions in check. Today was not a day that she cared to do so, and so she wept. She wept for her lost love. She wept for the 8 years of being alone. She wept for her child, losing a mother so early in their life. She wept for Ruby, who had been robbed of so much time. Soon, all of the memories came flooding back, and Weiss fell dropped to her knees on the wet soil below. The quite literally explosive day they had met, riding a Nevermore above the Emerald Forest, the formation of team RWBY. All the time spent fighting Torchwick and the White Fang, fending off Grimm in the night, and struggling to keep their love strong despite the disapproval of Mr. and Mrs. Schnee. Weiss thought about their first kiss and how Ruby had managed to give Weiss a bloody nose while doing it, and of the night they finally gave away their last claim to innocence. Sobs racked the heiress's body, as she remembered the day of their wedding, at which Ruby refused to wear her dress at all costs, opting to walk down the aisle in her combat skirt and red cloak. When modern science had provided a means for same-sex couples to yield biological children, Ruby jumped at the chance. 9 months later Ruby gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, the child bearing Weiss's hair and Ruby's eyes. They raised the child for 7 years together, as a happy family, until the day Ruby left for her final mission. When the body was found, it was so mangled and bloody the only true identification was a locket Ruby was clutching to her chest, opened to the images of her wife and daughter. The white haired woman desperately grabbed for the locket that now rested upon her neck.

Losing all control, Weiss wailed into the cold air, tears pouring so hard they challenged the rain. Her words were choked and shaky, but she managed to get them out through all the emotional turmoil. "R-Ruby... I'm s-so sorry, *_sniff_* I'm so s-sorry I couldn't b-be there, *_sniff_* if I had known..." Weiss struggled to get more words out, but her tongue was locked in fear. Out of nowhere the heiress felt a gentle hand rest upon her shoulder. Looking up through bleary eyes to find the owner of the hand, her eyes fell upon a tall woman with wild, long, soaking blonde hair.

"Hey, sis," Yang managed to smile out with the best enthusiasm she could muster.

"Yang..." the Ice Princess stood up and wrapped her arms around the brawler, burying her tear stained face into Yang's shoulder.

"Sh-sh-sh-shh, it's alright, I'm here for you. I know you're hurting. It's okay." Yang held on tightly to her sister-in-law.

"Y-yang, how could she *_sob_* h-how could she leave me, she promised me..."

"You know that she never wanted to, it wasn't her choice. If it were up to her, she'd be right here holding your hand."

"I miss her Yang... I miss her so much."

"Me too, sis, me too."

And so two women stood through the storm, holding each other close in order to hide the pain of losing Ruby. Tear and rain drops mixed while minutes passed, but they did not care. It was a terrible day for rain, yet the sun did not deserve to shine on this occasion. 8 years ago from today, the world was robbed of Ruby Rose. The sisters in law could do nothing but cry. Many will remember Ruby as the exceptional 15 year old girl that became the youngest student ever admitted into Beacon, and eventually, the huntress that would save all of mankind. Her immediate friends still remember her as the bouncing red ball of energy that gushed over weapons, wolfed down plates of cookies at a time, and the girl who was forever optimistic for the future. As for Weiss and Yang, Ruby was more than a leader and friend. The scythe wielding huntress wasn't just a clumsy, dorky, insufferable, goofball of little girl in a red hood. Ruby was a shining light of hope and love in a world that was otherwise dark. Ruby was happiness. Ruby was hope. Ruby was love. Ruby was, and Ruby is gone. Nothing can change that.

Gradually, the rain started to lessen, and the clouds opened up to let the sun shine through. Yang wiped away the last of her tears in order to look at the fading storm. The last droplets of rain fell gently around the cemetery as the wind calmed down to a gentle breeze. Turning her attention back to Weiss, she noticed the heiress's breathing had slowed down to a normal rate, though she was still visibly shaking. "Oh you poor thing," Yang removed her duster coat and draped it over Weiss's shoulders, "you caught cold being out here for so long didn't you?" Unable to say words, the the Ice Queen simply nodded. Slowly, even though she didn't want to, Weiss let go of Yang and stared at down at the ground. The mood was far too heavy for Yang's liking, and the blonde decided to push the emotional tides towards another shore.

"Look at us Weiss, a couple of blubbering idiots covered in rain standing around in a graveyard." Yang chuckled

"Yeah... I suppose this is a bit ridiculous..." Weiss's mouth curved into a slight smile

"C'mon sis, let's get you home to Jade. You're her mom, and she's probably as sad as you are."

"Alright... Just one more thing before we go, okay?"

"Sure, take your time."

Kneeling down once more, Weiss looked at the tombstone the same way she had done for Ruby a million times before, love visibly present in her ice blue eyes. Gently, she kissed the tips of her fingers, and brought them to rest upon Ruby's grave. Quietly, the princess whispered her parting words to ears that would never hear them, "Rest easy, my sweet rose. I won't forget you, I promise. I love you, Ruby." Perhaps it was her imagination, but Weiss swore she could hear Ruby's voice. "_Thank you snowflake, I love you too._" With a slight sigh, the white haired woman stood up. In her usual manner, Yang smiled her smile that was warm enough to melt almost any trouble away.

"Time to go?" Yang asked gently.

"Time to go." Weiss nodded.

And then they went home.

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**End Notes: I do not claim to be a writer, so please feel free to share any criticisms or praise you may have. I will try to get out another part this evening, but it might not arrive until tomorrow. That being said, thank you for reading this prologue, and enjoy your evenings. RedZed signing out.**


	2. Chapter 1: The Best Worst Morning

**A/N: This chapter was supposed to be released roughly 1 hour ago, however I had three big problems: 1) internet, 2) formatting screwed up, 3) cat on keyboard. I apologize for the delay. This entry is the first of many, as stated previously, and another update should be out by Friday evening. If this one seems less emotionally involved than the previous entry, please don't be alarmed. This is a stylistic choice on part of the author who would like to think they have a good idea of what they're doing. Reasoning: Ruby and Weiss are at the beginning of their relationship, and have no idea how to do anything. So, the text is supposed to be just as awkward and unsure of things as they are. If you guys don't like it, I'll re-write it in more traditional style so keep me posted! ALSO: YOU GUYS ARE GREAT, didn't expect any follows/reviews until at least the third installment, so thank you.**

**Disclaimer: RWBY is property of Roosterteeth and the late Monty Oum.**

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Chapter 1: The Best Worst Morning

Weiss was in a deep sleep, and rightfully so. Team RWBY had been out on a mission for roughly 3 days, battling creatures of Grimm in the northern reaches of Forever Fall, and only returned back to the safety of Beacon at roughly 11:00pm the previous evening. Since the school allowed teams a day of rest after long missions before returning to classes, the Ice Queen decided that maybe sleeping in would be nice for a change.

_SHREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII_

Or not.

"RUBY!" Weiss shrieked as she tumbled out of her bed in fear.

"WEISS!" Ruby happily yelled back, unable to detect the anger in her partner's voice.

"Why on Remnant do you need to use that annoying whistle every morning!" The heiress grumbled as she picked herself off the floor.

"Well, I think it's a good way to wake people up. It certainly seems to be working on you!"

"Well all it does is make me angry!" Weiss huffed, crossing her arms.

"Nah, you're always mad, I just help jump-start your day."

"Am NOT!"

"There's my princess," cooed the scythe wielder in a mocking baby voice.

"DON'T call me princess, you dolt!"

"Sheesh, relax Weiss, I'm sorry. I didn't think you'd get this mad." Ruby pouted, looking down at her feet.

"Well maybe that's your problem! You don't think! You just act, and like a little girl no less! WHY DON'T YOU GROW UP!"

"Weiss, I said I'm sor-" but Ruby was cut off.

"Sorry?! SORRY!? SORRY DOESN'T ALWAYS CUT IT, SO I SUGGEST YOU START BEING A LITTLE MORE MATURE!"

"Weiss-"

The heiress wouldn't have any more of Ruby's words this morning, and stormed off to the bathroom, slamming the door shut to add drama to the whole situation. The heiress looked in the mirror and was shocked to see how angry she looked, almost scaring herself. The Ice Queen took a moment to think to herself, _Was I too harsh on Ruby? I might have seriously hurt her- NO! I am a Schnee, and the Schnees do not show weakness!_ Without spending much more time to revel on what happened in the dorm room, Weiss disrobed from her nightgown and stepped into the shower. As she let the hot water wash over her body, she let the anger and stress be taken with as the water spiraled down the drain. Despite desperate attempts to focus on shampooing and conditioning her long ivory tresses, the heiress couldn't seem to shake the feeling of guilt for yelling at Ruby. All she could hope was that her partner could take the verbal beating well, and they could return to their normal dynamic.

Back in the dorm room, however, that was not the case. Ruby sat in her precariously suspended top bunk, furiously scribbling with a red marker all over the pages of her personal diary. Crossing out Weiss's name where it showed up, and coloring over any sketches of her partner that appeared in the margins. Tears fell onto the pages the red haired girl was so viciously attacking, but Ruby didn't care. _Weiss is a big MEANIE! I hate her! Her and her stupid rich girl ways! I want her out! I HATE HER!_ Ruby screamed in her mind, all she wanted to do was remove Weiss from everything she could. The young girl ripped out page after page, removed Weiss's name from pages that were otherwise important, and made sure to blot out every "I love Weiss" she could. She flipped to the first pages of her book, wanting to destroy all the evidence of ever meeting Weiss, when she stopped. Her first entry was simply a pencil drawing of her and her partner fighting off various Grimm, with the caption "My new partner, and best friend, Weiss!" If Ruby had been crying before, now she was sobbing. She looked around at all the shredded pieces of paper on her bed sheets and red blotches covering her diary, realizing what she had done. The red haired girl hugged her knees and curled up into a ball, hoping that if she made herself small enough she might pop out of existence. _Maybe I am just a stupid little kid, why should I be leader of a team. I didn't even think about what I was doing to my diary, and now it's all ruined. I'm so dumb, I don't deserve any of this!_ Grabbing her sheets and pulling them over her head, Ruby tried her best to hide from her mistakes.

Minutes later, the sound of running water stopped, and Weiss emerged from the bathroom in her combat attire. To say the heiress was confused would be an understatement, most mornings after she was done getting ready Ruby would happily take Weiss down to breakfast. The surprising lack of Ruby bouncing around the room sent Weiss into panic mode. "Ruby, where are you?" called out the Ice Queen, hoping that Ruby was playing some sort of joke. There was a muffled "I'm not here!" coming from underneath the mass of blankets on the team leader's top bunk. Rolling her eyes, Weiss walked over to the beds in an attempt to go along with Ruby's poorly planned joke. "Oh no," the heiress said in an obviously dramatic voice, "my partner has gone missing whatever shall I do." Gripping at the blankets so her partner wouldn't notice, Weiss prepared to ruin the little girl's silly little plan. "She seems to have gone missing, wherever could she be. Maybe she's under the," she ripped off the sheets to reveal a watery eyed Ruby Rose, "BLANKETS! HA, found you- Ruby? Hey, Ruby are you okay?" The heiress's panic mode switched straight into worrying, throwing her emotional circuits for a loop.

"I told you I'm not here!" Ruby screamed, desperately trying to gather every piece of paper that she could so Weiss couldn't see what had happened. Her shaky hands failed her in the long run though, unable to gather more than two bits at a time before accidentally dropping them. The efforts of the young girl were fruitless, as Weiss picked up one of the many fragments of paper lying on the blankets. "Ruby... Did you do this? Is this because of what I said earlier?" the white haired girl asked, connecting all the dots. Unable to come up with a logical explanation, Ruby started babbling, "N-No! It's just that I was going through my diary- did I say diary? I meant Literature journal- and then Nora came over with a red marker and challenged me to a-" In that moment, Weiss did the most uncharacteristic thing she would ever do in her entire life, by crawling up onto Ruby's bed and hugging her partner.

"Ruby Rose, you are a terrible liar, and you know it." Weiss said, doing her best to sound stern.

"I'm sorry Weiss, I didn't mean to-" Ruby choked out through tears and confusion.

"I know, you already told me."

"Wha? But I-"

"Hush, let me speak. I know you were just trying to help me earlier, and I responded very negatively. So I want to say that I- I'm apol-" Weiss struggled to say the words.

"You're a pole?" asked a very confused Ruby, not sure just what Weiss meant.

"No you dolt, I'm apologizing to you! There I said it! I'm sorry for being such a brat to you!" Weiss sighed.

"Oh Weiss! You aren't such an Ice Queen after all!" Ruby squealed, snuggling closer into Weiss's embrace.

"Yeah! W-Well don't get used to it! I'm never holding you again, you hear me!" the flustered Weiss retorted.

"5 more minutes then? I promise I'll never wake you up with the whistle again." the red haired girl begged, looking up at her partner with puppy dog eyes.

"If you think that face will win me over then- Oh fine, 5 minutes, but no more!"

Weiss relaxed her tense muscles and started to enjoy the unusual feeling of being close to someone. Growing up as the heiress of the Schnee dust company, Weiss had received very little human interaction. Her parents were never around, and pets were not an option because they shed hair and made messes. As a result, Weiss grew up alone for all 17 years of her life. To suddenly show outward care and affection for someone she'd hardly known for little over a semester was extremely difficult, yet strangely soothing. _This is no way a lady should act_, Weiss thought to herself, _you are supposed to be a proper- ah fuck it_. The Ice Queen let her heart melt, and leaned right back into the girl in her arms. Resting her chin atop Ruby's head, Weiss cherished their embrace, not that her partner would ever know. For all Ruby would understand, this was just a way to get out of the terrible reign of the evil whistle.

The heiress glanced around the bedspread at the shreds of paper, thinking about how much time it would take to clean up this mess, when she noticed Ruby's diary sitting open to the first page. At first she felt guilty, and fluttered her eyes around the room, not wanting to invade Ruby's private thoughts. But as we all know, temptation is a curse, and Weiss could not resist slowly dragging her vision back towards the open book. The image, though poorly drawn in pencil, was clear enough to make sense. Weiss smiled, thinking of the many times she and Ruby had been in a situation not unlike the fight on the page, luckily for no worse of wear. When she noticed the words at the bottom of the page, she felt a strange sensation in her stomach. Initially Weiss thought she must have misread the words, but no amount of re-reading would change the text. "My new partner, and best friend, Weiss!" _There's no way she thinks that, I've been terrible to her. I've been a difficult partner, but in no way do I deserve to be her best friend. _Weiss struggled internally to find a way to justify her feelings, but she couldn't. The thought of it bothered her.

"Hey Ruby, can I ask you something?" Asked the heiress, pretending to not be concerned.

"Hmm?"

"I um- I kind of read your diary, and uh- am I really your best friend?"

"Yup."

"And you really mean that."

"Yup!"

"Okay, then I suppose I should start acting like one."

Ruby wiggled away from Weiss enough to look her partner in the eyes. Wide and hopeful silver orbs stared back into a calm icy blue. Time stood still, and sound seemed to stop, as Weiss fell headlong into the beauty that was Ruby's eyes. The strange complexity of their beautiful innocence, and ability to give off warmth through a normally cold color took the heiress's breath away. Weiss wanted to hold onto this exact instance in time for as long as she could, but the moment ended quickly as they usually do, with Ruby being a complete dolt. The young girl tackled Weiss in a fearsome grip, barely able to contain her raw excitement and happiness. "RUBY!" shrieked the startled heiress, "GET OFF OF ME!" Too happy to let go, Ruby simply hugged her partner tighter, only loosening the grip when Weiss started pleading for air.

Their embrace would've lasted much longer, if it weren't for the interruption of a third voice in the room. "By the way guys, your 5 minutes are up." Weiss scrambled to get out from underneath her partner, frantically looking around the dorm for the location of the other person. They came to a halt at the other top bunk. Surprisingly, or rather unsurprisingly, their teammate Blake was perched upon her bed, staring casually at the two flustered girls.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" yelled a furious Weiss Schnee

"Watching." Blake said, not impressed by the rage of the heiress.

"WHY?"

"Ran out of books, figured you two would make good entertainment."

"HOW LONG?!"

"Pretty much the whole time."

"WHAT!?"

"I just told you."

Embarrassed, enraged, and emotionally exhausted, all Weiss could do was get down from the bed and walk out the door. "Ruby, " the heiress called out, "shall we go to breakfast?" In the blink of an eye and a flurry of rose petals, Ruby stood eagerly next to her partner. "Yes, let's go before the pancakes are gone!" The younger girl grabbed Weiss by the hand, and gently pulled them out of the dorm and into the hallway. Daring to look behind her one last time, Weiss caught the eyes of Blake, who in return gave a knowing smile and a wink. The heiress closed the door and blushed, not knowing what to make of the whole situation. Hand in hand, the two girls walked down the empty hallway. Ruby obviously had something on her mind, as she frequently looked up at Weiss, only to dart her eyes away to pretend she hadn't been staring. Ruby's thoughts raced_, I need to know, I need to find out. Does she like me? Does she like like me? Oh heart, why are you so confusing!_ Being the impulsive girl that she was, Ruby decided to take matters into her own hands. Stopping dead in her tracks, the red haired girl turned to face her partner. Heart racing, and adrenaline running through her veins, Ruby took the dive.

As quickly and awkwardly as possible, Ruby leaned forward to deliver a small kiss on Weiss's lips. The heiress, who had been on quite the emotional roller coaster the whole morning, panicked and backed up, all too unsure of the situation. The younger girl was not prepared for this action, and tumbled forward towards her white haired partner, smacking her forehead against the bridge of Weiss's nose. "Ouch! Dolt, watch what you're doing!" Weiss felt warm liquid running out of her nostrils, and placed a hand on her nose to prevent blood from getting on her white clothes. Ruby, too afraid to do anything else, simply started saying words, "Oh Weiss- heh heh- that wasn't what you think it was, unless you are thinking good things, and if that's the case, that's totally what you thought it was! Maybe I should get you some tissues." Using her free hand, the blue eyed girl put a finger on Ruby's lips to shush the babbling buffoon. With the aid her aura, Weiss fixed her nosebleed before speaking to her petrified partner. "Miss Ruby Rose, I do not know where you learned your rules of courtship, but you did everything wrong. First, you need to take a lady out on a date before trying to kiss her. Second, you definitely shouldn't headbutt her. Finally, turn your head when you kiss, otherwise you'll just cause more nosebleeds. Honestly Ruby, are you even slightly romantic?" The silver eyed girl looked around nervously, shaking her head, "I've never done anything like this before."

Weiss sighed, she didn't think of Ruby romantically, but she hardly thought of anyone that way in the first place. Then again, she couldn't bring herself to break the poor girl's heart twice in one day. _This is purely for her sake,_ the heiress reassured herself, _it'll be a one time thing, and then we'll go back to being friends_. "Ruby, if you want to go on a date," Weiss began, carefully choosing her words, "then all you need to do is ask me. If you do well, we'll see where things go. Okay?" Ruby nodded, collected her thoughts, and put on her best posh accent, "Weiss Schnee, would you accompany me to a dinner this evening?"

The Ice Queen smiled, "But of course Miss Rose, it would be an honor." finishing her sentence with a curtsy.

_One time thing_, she told herself, _and everything will go back to normal_.

Weiss Schnee had never been more wrong in her entire life.

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**End Notes: If you didn't read above, please do so, it'll help me get insight into how I should write the series. I'm trained in a lot of odd writing styles so I kind of go back and forth. Complaining about lack of fluff? Oh don't you worry, by next Friday there will be enough fluff to start a teddy bear company. So stay tuned. As always, this is RedZed signing out.**


	3. Chapter 2: A White Rose Christmas

**A/N: And here it is! The first true effort at pure and undeniable fluff, to make up for any grief caused by the the first chapter. Sit back and enjoy, I don't have much to add to this briefest of introductions.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, it is property of Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum.**

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Chapter 2: A White Rose Christmas

Ever since the debacle over Ruby's liberal use of her whistle, the team leader agreed to never rudely wake her partner again. Years passed for the two, alarm clocks being replaced with gentle kisses to the forehead, the formal "good morning" gradually shifting into "time to get up, love" as their relationship blossomed. The couple had been sharing a bed for several years, and a house for only two, yet Ruby kept her promise to the princess. Weiss always awoke to a loving embrace, and sweet words that made her feel safe. There was no exception any day of the week, for any reason at all. Well, all but Christmas morning where Ruby threw out all traditional rules.

"Weiss! Weiss it's time to get up! IT'S CHRISTMAS!" Ruby squealed, shaking her lover violently.

"Ruby, be a dear, and let me sleep 15 more minutes." grumbled a sleepy Weiss, burying her face in her pillow.

"But Weiss..." whimpered the red haired girl, doing her best to sound sad

"Darling, it's only 15 minutes, go back to bed please."

"I'm already uuuuuup, please, I want to open presents. Weiss, let's go!" begged the red haired girl.

"Ugh, fine, but you're making me coffee." Mumbled a sleepy heiress, rolling over to look her love in the eyes.

"YAY!" the red ball of energy zipped down the stairs, forgetting to get out of her pajamas.

The Ice Queen smiled at the thought of her girlfriend being this excited about Christmas morning. Despite the several personality changes that Ruby had made, either intentionally or forced upon her by events, the scythe wielder still had her childish ways. Deciding that the caped girl could wait a little bit longer, Weiss took her sweet time brushing her hair, making the bed, putting on her slippers, and plodding down the steps at an agonizingly slow pace. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, the heiress found two steaming mugs of coffee resting on the counter. Even from a distance she could identify her black espresso, as it varied drastically from Ruby's concoction of mostly cream and sugar and a _hint_ of coffee. The only thing missing from the kitchen was the hyper-active girl that the coffee belonged to. Being the intelligent woman that she was, Weiss detected Ruby's trap, but decided to take the bait and humor her girlfriend.

Calmly and casually, the white haired woman strolled over to the counter and picked up her mug. She ignored the sound of careful footsteps sneaking up behind her, and took a long deliberate sip of her beverage. As gentle arms wrapped around her waist, Weiss leaned back into the warm embrace. "Good morning snowflake," Ruby whispered, delivering a kiss to the princess's cheek, "Merry Christmas." The heiress turned her head to peck Ruby's soft lips, rewarding her girlfriend for the cheesy romantics. "Good morning, my sweet rose. Merry Christmas," the princess said lovingly, "thanks for the coffee." Bringing her head down to rest on the fencer's shoulder, Ruby waited patiently for Weiss to finish her coffee. The caped girl decided to strike up conversation in an attempt to turn the attention from the coffee on the counter to the presents under the tree.

"Hey princess?" Asked the scythe wielder, feigning calmness.

"Hmm?" replied Weiss, mid sip.

"Are Yang and Blake still coming over for dinner this evening?"

"Mhm."

"And Blake is coming around noon to help you cook?"

"Yes."

"It's 10 now..."

"Correct."

"We'll need time to get dressed and ready..."

"And open presents?" asked the heiress with a knowing smile.

"Psh, naw, I mean, that isn't _too_ important."

"Oh good, then we'll open them after dinner."

Ruby's eyes went wide with fear, trying her best to steer the conversation in the opposite direction. "Ohhhh nonononono, I mean, we wouldn't want to make Blake or Yang watch us open presents- like what if one us maybe sort of bought the other some lingerie- and they really didn't want Yang to see it cause she'd make fun of it and-" Finding her flustered girlfriend to adorable to resist, Weiss finally caved in to the caped girl's pleading. "Slow down there darling, I'm just teasing you. Let's throw a few logs in the fireplace and open each other's gifts before the others arri- EEP!" Getting all the okay that Ruby had needed, she swept up the princess into a bridal carry and ran into the living room.

Ruby gently tossed her partner onto the red leather couch opposite the hearth, and with the use of her semblance, dashed around the room to get everything ready. In less than a second she had managed to fill the fireplace with a roaring flame, sort the gifts into one large pile for herself and a smaller mound for Weiss, and set a plate of cookies onto the coffee table. The caped girl then plopped down on the couch next to a stunned Weiss holding a medium sized package in her hands. "I know you always want to watch me open presents, " Ruby said, furiously blushing, "but you should unwrap this first." The white haired woman's interest was peaked, and she carefully took the box out of her girlfriend's hands. With the delicacy of a lady, Weiss removed the wrapping paper and removed the lid of the box underneath. Within the cardboard sat a neatly folded piece of white cloth. At first the heiress was confused by the contents of the package, but after lifting up the linen she found out the true meaning of Ruby's gift. It was not simply a segment of fabric, but rather a snow colored cloak with hood. "Oh Ruby," Weiss gasped, "this is beautiful."

Any nervous tension that the red haired woman felt evaporated when she heard the words. The heiress pulled her lover in for a close embrace, kissing Ruby deeply to show the appreciation she deserved. Breaking their lips apart, the Ice Queen passionately gazed into her girlfriend's silver eyes with all the love a look could impart. Still blushing as red as her hair, Ruby chuckled out a "I figured it'd be cute if we matched." Weiss grabbed onto her partner's hand and gave it a squeeze for reassurance. "Miss Rose, this is the most wonderful thing anyone has ever given me," Weiss smiled, "and I love it almost as much as I love you." The heiress gave Ruby a second kiss, before shoving the red haired girl off of the couch. "Now open up your presents you dolt, Blake will be here before we know it."

Not able to argue with that very sound logic, the red ball of energy shredded the wrapping paper off of every package sitting underneath the tree. With each new discovery the young leader let out a squeal, and showered Weiss with kisses and affectionate words. All the princess could do was giggle at the sight of the childlike wonderment that her girlfriend never ceased to express. Among many lifetime certificates to the scythe wielder's favorite bakery- lasting roughly 1 month each for Ruby-, some high end ammunition for Crescent Rose, a new bulletproof combat skirt, and several trinkets, the young leader was happy beyond words. After every gift had been thoroughly examined and praised, Ruby leaped into into her girlfriend's lap. The caped girl curled into a comfortable ball, nuzzling her head into the crook of the heiress's neck.

"Thank you so much Weiss, this is the best Christmas ever." Ruby grinned, unable to contain her joy.

"You said that last year, you goofball." Weiss laughed.

"I know, but this new skirt is _sooooooo_ cool, I love it."

"And I love you, my sweet rose." the heiress smiled, kissing the top of her girlfriend's red haired head.

"I love you too, snowflake." chirped the caped girl, snuggling closer into the embrace.

"Let's enjoy this moment a little while longer, hmm?"

"I promised that I'd never leave you, right?"

"Good, then stay."

They sat in silence, enjoying the comfort of each other's body and the warmth of the fire, and even long after the fire had died they stayed put. Moments like these were rare for huntresses, and the couple cherished them whenever they could. As is the truth with all good things in this world, they must end sooner or later, and the ringing of a doorbell from the entryway of the house meant that it was time to get up. "That must be Blake," muttered a drowsy Ruby, "we should probably let her in." Getting up from Weiss's lap, the team leader dragged her feet to the front door. Opening it up, she found her favorite faunus standing in the snow with a bag of gifts in her hand and a stack of cook books in her arms.

"Blake! Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas Ruby! It's good to see you." beamed the cat eared woman.

"How's the bookstore going?"

"Absolutely splendidly, the last few months have been incredibly profitable. And how're things here?"

"Same old, same old. Me n' Weiss just hang out here, and occasionally go out on missions together."

"That's great, and how are Weiss and Yang doing?"

"Oh you know Weiss, prickly but adorable. Kinda like a hedgehog! But I don't know about Yang, she's not here yet."

"Oh? That's strange, Yang had texted that she was already-"

_**THUD**_

A large sound erupted from the direction of the living room, followed by a shriek from the heiress. Blake and Ruby halted their conversation and made a dash for the living room, expecting the worst. What they found was a large, blonde, soot covered woman in a Santa cap sitting in the ashes of the fireplace with a stupid grin on her face and a sack of gifts over her shoulder. "Heh heh, Merry Christmas guys," chuckled the brawler, "Yang Xiao Claus reporting for duty!" Team RWBY burst into a collective laughter, it had been a while since anything quite that ridiculous had happened to any of them.

After the scene calmed down, everyone shared the goings on of each other's lives, down to the finite details of just how Yang had managed to punch her way out of the inside of a King Taijitu and Blake's favorite bookshop customers. Blake and Weiss made their way off to the kitchen, deciding it'd be best to let the sisters catch up. "So Blake, " whispered Weiss as they spiced the ham, "did Yang tell you the plan for this evening?" The faunus simply nodded, and went back to rubbing the spices in.

* * *

Following a long dinner, filed with hearty laughter, stories of missions, and copious amounts of teasing Yang for falling down the chimney, the members of team RWBY found themselves seated in the living room. Ruby and Weiss snuggled together on the couch while Yang and Blake sat in chairs borrowed from the dining table, champagne and tiredness making everything much funnier that it actually was. The heiress got so wrapped up in the evening that she almost completely forgot about the plan. That was until Yang managed to catch the princess's eye, motioning to the pillow that hid the package. Weiss nodded, and put down her glass of champagne.

"Everyone, may I have your attention." said the Ice Queen.

The girls stopped talking and laughing, to stare at the princess. The only sound left in the room was that of a dying fire, crackling in the hearth. Weiss turned to Ruby, looking deep into her lover's eyes, scared of what she was about to do. Picking up on the worry in the heiress's eyes, Ruby spoke, "Weiss, are you okay?" Weiss nervously laughed, trying to steady her heart rate before speaking again. Taking a deep breath, Weiss began her speech.

"Of course I am Ruby, I'm more than okay. That's kind of what I wanted to talk about tonight. Before I met you, I was a snot-nosed brat that only cared about grades and perfection, with a small heart made of stone. Then one day, you quite literally exploded into my life. At first I didn't think you were much more than a clumsy little 15 year old girl that had a ridiculously sized weapon, but oh how I was wrong. You did something that no one else ever did for me. You cared about me, even through all the mean words I said and the evil things I did to you, because you saw good in me. You never gave up, and in doing so, you pulled me out of the dark and into the light. The past few years with you have been the best of my life by far, and I know I'd still be a sad little girl if it weren't for your everlasting optimism. I love you more than anything else that has ever existed, and it's a fact that nothing will ever compare to you. You are the greatest treasure I have in this world, and I never want you to leave my side."

Ruby grinned, not detecting the direction the conversation was going, "I love you too Weiss! And I promised you I'd never leave, besides your my partner and girlfriend, I'll always be here."

Weiss chuckled at the innocence, "I know, and that's why I think it's time I finally did this."

Getting off the couch, and bending down on one knee, Weiss reached behind the pillow and pulled out a small box.

"Ruby Rose, I can't think of a better life than one spent with you, so there's no reason to put this off any longer."

She opened the box.

"Will you marry me?"

The ring glimmered in the fire light, a ruby crested band for a Ruby Rose.

"Weiss... Yes, of course, yes yes yes!" tears of joy streamed down the caped girl's cheeks.

The heiress pulled her new fiancée into a loving embrace.

Blake smiled happily, "Congratulations you two."

Yang tried her best to pretend that she wasn't bawling, "G-good catch Rubes, she's definitely a keeper. No I'm not crying! I think I'm allergic to this champagne!"

But neither Ruby nor Weiss heard what their teammates were saying. As far as they were concerned, the only people that existed were each other.

* * *

**End Notes: All I have to add here is a thanks for reading this short fluffy snapshot, and putting up with my roller coaster of a story. Shout outs to all the followers here now, and any that show up between now and the next chapter. I'll see you all on Sunday, RedZed signing out.**


	4. Chapter 3: One Final Stand

**A/N: Apologies for delays, this weekend has been rather hectic, lots of the cat escaping from the apartment in light of the warmer weather and the internet being out for a stupid amount of time, among other things. In order to remedy the situation, I offer to you the official bumping up of the story to the M rating with a little bit of bloody violence. About damn time. For those wondering where the dark parts of the story are, fret not, I'm just putting some distance between them since the beginning was less than joyous. To my current 19 followers, shout out to each and every one of you. If there is something you'd like to incorporate into the story, PM me and I'll do my best to oblige.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY, it is property of Rooster Teeth and the late Monty Oum.**

* * *

Chapter 3: One Final Stand.

_beep... beep... beep..._

"Wha? ..." the leader of team RWBY opened her eyes to a white room filled with machinery and metal.

_beep... beep... beep..._

"Where am I?" she asked, looking around the room for something familiar, her eyes falling on her partner sleeping in a chair next to the hospital bed.

_beep... beep... beep..._

"Weiss..." the red haired woman rasped. She attempted to rise and see her lover, but a sharp pain in the abdomen prevented any action. Ruby lifted the sheets to look down at her midsection to find a large amount of bandages wrapped tightly around her waist and chest. A large, red, circular patch ran across her torso.

_beep... beep-beep... beep-beep..._

"Oh gods... What happened to me?" she whispered, her pulse picking up in fear.

_beep-beep... beep-beep-beep-beep..._

The frantic noise of the heart rate monitor woke the slumbering heiress. Upon seeing her girlfriend awake, Weiss wasted no time in enveloping the scythe-wielder in a tight hug.

"Ruby!" gasped the heiress, unsure of whether to be happy or relieved at the caped girl's awakening.

"Ow! Easy there snowflake." Ruby winced, pain shooting through her torso.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to, I'm just- Ruby I was... oh Ruby..." the Ice Queen shattered, tears pouring down her face in a confusing concoction of emotions.

"Weiss, calm down, I'm okay. I'm here right now, and if it means anything, I'm so glad you are too." the team leader wrapped her comforting arms around her partner.

"R-Ruby, d-don't ever do anything that stupid again. EVER! Don't you dare!"

"I won't. Well, mostly 'cause I don't really know how I got here."

"What? You don't remember?"

"No... the last thing I can think of was..." her mind focused, "Torchwick."

The memories flooded back.

* * *

The whole factory was on fire, embers dancing in the black smoke and flames that threatened to consume all that was within reach. Sections of the ceiling dropped like flies, and pillars crumbled underneath the weight of the heat. Charred bodies littered the floor in pools of blood, either severed from their limbs or riddled with bullet holes. Among all the death and flames were three tired people, waiting patiently for an opportunity that would not arise. "So little red," wheezed the ginger man, "you've come quite some way in 4 years, eh?" Ruby said nothing, her hands tightening their grip around the shaft of Crescent Rose. "You and your friends have helped me throw quite the little party, but I'm afraid that this one wasn't formally invited." Torchwick aimed the barrel of his cane to point at the very delicate place between Weiss's eyes, pressing his boot down harder on the heiress's throat. The caped girl circled the man, dragging the tip of her scythe through the ground with a screech. "What'll it be little red, the clock's about to strike twelve, and we all know what happens to Cinderella." The team leader looked around desperately, searching for some way to free her partner from the evil man's clutches before the whole building collapsed.

Options and time were running thin, and everyone knew it. The heiress started crying, "Ruby, get out of here! Don't let him take you down too! GO!" she screamed into the smoky air. The boot pressed down harder, Torchwick hissed, "What's the first rule of the Schnee dust company? Don't speak unless spoken to? Figured you of all people would know that." The man brought up his cane, only to whip is across Weiss's temple, eliciting a scream from the small woman. A large explosion of fire dust from the next room caused a large portion of the roof to fall only yards away from the survivors. Roman looked away for a split second towards the flames and chaos, and Ruby jumped through this window of opportunity.

Firing off a bullet, the scythe-wielder propelled herself towards the mad man. Torchwick only had enough time to brace himself for the upcoming attack, raising his cane to block the downfall of the large crested blade. He stumbled backward off of his hostage, winded by all the smoke. Without hesitation, Ruby fired off another round and brought the blade down for for another swing. This time Roman wasn't as lucky, and the scythe came down on the middle of his bicep. Under normal circumstances his aura would've absorbed the blow, but after hours of fighting and breathing in smoke the man's natural defences were all but gone. Crescent Rose had no difficulty cleaving off Torchwick's right arm, going through the flesh and bone with no resistance, his cane clattering against the floor. With a yell and a kick, Ruby sent the man to the ground.

Roman Torchwick roared in agony, holding onto the bloody stump with his remaining arm. Bone jaggedly protruded from the wound, red liquid pouring from the veins that normally would've connect to an arm. Using her remaining strength, Ruby picked up her adversary by the scruff of his trenchcoat to spit on his face, "If you ever touch her again, I'm cutting off your other arm so you can't do it again." The team leader shoved the broken man onto the ground, kicking him in the side of the head for good measure.

Another beam fell behind her, and Ruby's attention snapped back into what was going on around her. _Weiss_. The team leader rushed over to her partner, helping the heiress onto her feet. "Come on," the caped girl began, "we need to get out of here." Weiss tried her hardest to stand on her feet, but exhaustion was taking over her body. The white haired woman collapsed to her knees, finding breathing to be difficult. "No no nonono," Ruby pleaded, "you are NOT doing this to me! Not now!" Tears streamed down the scythe-wielder's face, mixing with the soot and dried blood that had congealed to her cheeks. The red haired girl tried with all her might to drag her girlfriend out of the blazing building with little to no avail.

"Ruby..." Weiss managed to cough out through the smoke.

"Weiss, I can do this, just hang on, okay?"

"Go."

"No, I'm not leaving you, I made a promise!"

"Go... For me."

"You and I are getting through this, now shut up and let me carry you."

Using the last of her strength, Ruby started to lift her partner into the air, muscles burning from exhaustion and the heat of the flames. The distant yelling of Yang could be heard from a room further down the building. "RUBY! WEISS! WHERE ARE YOU!" Hope pouring out of her tired body, the red haired woman yelled with the last of her strength, "OVER HERE! HELP, WEISS IS HURT!" Relief washed over the team leader's body, everything would be okay.

Ruby felt the barrel of a gun press against her lower back.

"I always hated pruning roses." Torchwick whispered in her ear.

**BANG**

Her chest felt warm.

* * *

_beepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeepbeep..._

"Ruby! Ruby snap out of it!" screamed a startled Weiss, shaking her girlfriend's arm furiously.

"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah I'm fine." mumbled a dazed Ruby, lapsing out of her memory.

"What happened, you stopped talking and stared into space for a good 5 minutes." the heiress asked, gently holding onto her lover's hand.

"I kind of remember what happened... Was I shot?"

"Yeah, pretty badly too. We're lucky Yang got there when she did, the doctors said that if it'd been any later- there was a chance that..." she trailed off, tears falling all over again.

"Oh gods, Weiss, I'm so sorry I put you through all this. Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine, just a few cuts and a mild concussion, you should be worried about you!"

"Since you're going to be okay, then I'm going to be okay. That's all that matters to me."

"Oh you insufferable little dolt!"

The heiress pulled Ruby into a tear stained kiss. Innocent pecks evolved into passionate lip-locking. Soon enough, Weiss slipped her tongue past Ruby's lips, extracting a moan from the red-haired girl. The younger woman cupped her hands to her lover's tear stained cheeks, bringing them closer together. Ruby needed this so badly, but as Weiss's hand trailed up the leader's thigh towards its destination, Ruby pulled away. "Weiss," she said, her face as red as her hair, "maybe we should wait, we're in a hospital and I'm still pretty messed up." The heiress nodded in understanding, it wasn't in her nature to push Ruby if she wasn't ready.

_beep-beep... beep-beep... beep... beep..._

The white haired woman sat back in her chair, taking her lover's hand in her own for both of their comfort. Then Ruby asked the question that Weiss never wanted to answer.

"What happened to Torchwick?"

"Well, Yang showed up a few second after he shot you, and let's just say his face looked like hamburger meat when the cops finally managed to pull her off of his body."

"So, he's gone?"

"Yeah. For good this time."

"Is it over then? For real?"

"I think so."

"Good."

They sat in silence, not sure of what to say to on another. Four years of fighting a man so hell bent on destroying humanity ended in a burning building with a crazy blonde woman caving his face in using her bare hands. It didn't seem real, and for as far as their understanding reached, it was over. At least, for the time being. For now, all they could do was wait for the fearless leader of team RWBY to recover. Hopefully the world could wait for that to happen.

"I love you, Ruby." the heiress said, squeezing her girlfriend's hand.

"I love you too Weiss."

_beep... beep... beep... beep..._

* * *

**End Notes: Odd chapter, I know. Perhaps me just being a bit wrapped up in life at the moment. Seems a bit shorter than normal as well, but I didn't want to shoe-horn in any unnecessary faff, hate that sort of stuff. SO, after my internet being broken for a day, and my cat being an overall dick, I managed to finally put out this chapter! Huzzah! I'm thinking of changing the release schedule to a more Monday, Wednesday, Friday thing, that way I can work on future mega chapters over the weekends. And if the clue wasn't forward enough, the next chapter will contain some lemon. Need some spice in this stew otherwise it's just meaty and boring. Well, that's all I have to say, RedZed, signing out.**


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